Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-09-21
HIeH-rRAPEzE WORK.
a Female Performer Tells How She
CURED the TricLa nj II.- IL.

Female Performer Tells How She 40.
CURED the Tricks of Her Trade.
The circus woman who rushes into the
ring, BOWS, catches a strap with her teeth
ana Is hauled to the top of the tent, where
sne nnds rest on q single swinging trapeze
bar, has no sinecure. Every motion is the
result OF years of labor and hard practice
A New York Mail and Express reporter
interviewed one of these queens of the
air and found that her sawdust title was
not gained without courage and patience.
She said:
'The art of balancing on a swinging
trapeze is more difficult than active GYM
nastics. / began to accustom myself to
the circus ring at six years of age. At
seven l could turn hand-springs. NV
mother was a slack-wire walker. and her
ambition was to have me follow in her
footsteps, SO to speak. Somehow l had an
antipathy to the slack-wire, but gradually
l was taught to balance on 1t. At the age
OF ten could do a little walking
ON the wire, but / always kept the
wire swinging to and fro. In few wears
more l could do any thing on the slack
wire, and grew ambitious to perform other
feats. was between seventeen and eight
cen years old when l first assembled to a
high trapeze bar. A network was spread
i
looked below the more certain 1 became
that 1 could never get used to the high
trapeze. Ny instructor shouted up to me
not to look down at all, but to keep my eyes
fastened on the ropes that supported the
trapeze bar. / should have known that be-
fore, because in balancing on the slack wire
l always kept my eyes fixed on a level in
front of me. / obeyed orders and began to
try what is known as the simple balance
position. slipped and whirled through the
air to the netting below. WANTED to give
it up then. ALI my ambition seemed to
ooze out Of me. But 1 was made to go right
up again and try it over. That angered
me and / became reckless. 1 succeeded
admirably, and found that by keeping the
bar in motion / could balance myself much
better. 1 fell several times while prac-
ticing, but received no injuries on account
of the netting below. Day after day I
would go up and work four or five hours
steadily.
"After six months / was permitted to
perform for the public. 1 did not do so
many positions, as we call them, as did
afterward, but / felt that / should be a
success. Igained some applause for doing
one Of the easiest feats on the balancing
trapeze, so 1 concluded the easiest and
most picturesque positions could assume
would please the public more than difficult
feats. This idea was the means of my at
tanning great success and unexpected skill.
did only the most graceful and easy po.
sitfons. In several years / was at home on
the bar, and gave up slack-wire walking
altogether. Did / ever fall? Yes, but
fortunately that night had the network
to catch me, because / feel certain I'll
never fall. How did L fall? 1 was engaged
to be married to an acrobat and rider, and
in a foolish moment / turned my eyes
down to the ring to see him, and, losing
my balance, before could grasp the rope
l tumbled off very ungracefully and fell
in heap on the network below. l am
married now, so I see enough of my hus-
band without looking at him while per.
forminCD